Testimony, That Jesus is my Beloved Son

…the testimony of God is greater….

1 John 5:9

Did you know that God has worked for you to have faith in his son Jesus? When you read Mark 1:10-11 notice that God was trying to help the reader understand who, is Jesus. You could say Jesus is someone who has God’s stamp of approval, meaning one who is pleasing to God.  

Mark 1:10-11 “Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens

opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; and a voice came out of the

heavens: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

These are testimonies, the spirit of God (the spirit) and the voice of the father

speaking. If you were a Jew at that time reading this text you would see these two

things as very important because you have two testimonies. Let’s look at the Law in Deuteronomy 19:15 “ A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be

confirmed. ”

            Jesus also spoke about this in, John 8:17 “Even in your law it has been written that the testimony of two men is true.” Furthermore, Jesus says John 8:18 “I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.”

Jesus is using the latter part of the Law in Deuteronomy 19:16 as a general principle. Because it is known that the Father is not a man, He is a spirit. John 4:24“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

So, Jesus uses the general principle from law to show that He and the Father agree, and he is of the truth cf. John 8:18.  In 1st John 5:9 the thought is taken even further, “If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son. ”

Note, we just saw the greater testimony of God in Mark 1:10-11, the Holy Spirit, and the Father.  The Jews would have seen this as a sign that Jesus could be trusted. This for us today is like having a good friend for many years. Then one day they call you and tell you they have another good friend that they want you to have confidence in as you do them. The Father is putting a stamp of approval on Jesus. 

The Father is trying to give them faith showing the reader who He is.  If the Father has confidence in Jesus, do you have faith in your knowledge Jesus?